Ale Braised Collards With Ham Food

ALE-BRAISED COLLARDS WITH HAM

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened and just starting to color, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Add 1 teaspoon salt, the red pepper flakes and the brown sugar; stir to combine. Add beer and cook, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pan. Raise heat to high and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 3 minutes.
• Add 2 cups water, the apple cider vinegar, the ham hock and the collard greens; stir to combine. Cover pot, raise heat to high, and bring to a rolling boil. Stir collards thoroughly to incorporate flavors, then reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring every 30 minutes, until collards reach desired tenderness, at least 30 minutes but preferably up to 2 hours. Remove ham hock; pull off and chop meat and return to pan, or discard if desired. Season with salt and pepper.

COLLARD GREENS WITH HAM HOCKS

Steps:

• In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat the vegetable oil. Add the ham hocks and sear on all sides. Meanwhile, prepare the collards by ripping the leaf away from the spine. Pile the greens on top of each other and cut into long strips; then cut the strips to make squares. Set aside.
• When the ham hocks are lightly browned, add the onions and garlic to the pot; stir and sweat them until the onions are translucent and tender, 2 minutes. Add half of the greens and a cup of stock so the greens begin to wilt. Season with a pinch of salt (which will also help the wilting process) and stir to combine. Then, add the remaining greens and another cup of stock and cover to steam, about 2 minutes. Add 1-2 cups more stock, to just cover the greens and ham hocks. Season with more salt and pepper, reduce heat to a simmer, and cover. Cook, 1-1½ hours.
• After 1-1½ hours, use tongs to remove the ham hocks to cool (they'll be falling off the bone). Add another ½ cup of stock, the cane vinegar, and the cane syrup to the greens. Stir, taste, and adjust seasoning if necessary. When the ham hocks have cooled, pull the meat off the bones, chop finely, and add back into the greens. Serve in a bowl with bits of ham hock and plenty of the "potlikker."

BRAISED COLLARD GREENS

Steps:

• Place ham hocks, salt pork, onion, bay leaves, red pepper flakes, and sugar in a large pot with the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, and cook for 30 minutes.
• Stir collard greens into the pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, and cook for 30 minutes, or until greens are tender. Season with red wine vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

BRAISED COLLARD GREENS

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion and 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cook until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the Cajun seasoning and cook 30 seconds. Add the ham hocks, chicken broth and 4 cups water. Increase the heat to high and bring to a low boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the ham is tender and falling off the bone, about 2 hours.
• Remove the ham hocks from the liquid. Remove and discard the skin and bones. Roughly chop the meat into bite-size pieces. Return the meat to the cooking liquid along with the collard greens and vinegar. Increase the heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the greens are tender, about 30 minutes. Serve the collards with some of the liquid.

ALE BRAISED CORNED BEEF WITH HORSERADISH GRAVY, SWEDISH STYLE

Steps:

• Heat nonstick Dutch oven over high heat. Sprinkle meat with pepper and brown in oil on all sides, about 6 minutes. Remove meat & set aside.
• Lower heat to medium and add diced onion,diced carrots, celery, brown sugar and thyme to pot drippings. Cook stirring until soft, about 7 minutes. Lower heat, add ale and mustard and cook 1-2 minutes, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pot.
• Return meat to pot, cover and cook over low heat about 3-1/2 hours. Keep heat just below simmer. Don't let it boil.
• Add cabbage, remaining sliced carrots, quartered onions and continue cooking covered until vegetables and meat are tender, about 40 minutes. Remove meat and let stand 15 minutes before slicing. Remove cabbage and large vegetable pieces with a slotted spoon and place on serving platter and keep warm. Reserve pan juices for gravy.
• Horseradish Gravy:.
• Strain and skim fat from pan juices. In pot over medium heat, combine 1 cup strained pan juices with milk, horseradish, mustard, thyme and pepper. Dissolve cornstarch in 2 T. reserved horseradish liquid. (Use water or more cooking liquid if not enough juice remained.).
• Stir cornstarch slurry into pan mixture and cook, stirring until mixture boils and thickens slightly, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in chopped parsley or chives. Serve gravy with sliced meat and vegetables.
• Kiss me, I'm Swedish & Happy "Svenskarnas Dag".